Pollution and Global Warming

Global warming is a serious and grave societal issue and its scientific basis is well established. The core problem is emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as CO2. Bowtie analysis provides an overarching visual representation that associates and communicates the causes of the global warming hazard with its effects. It focuses on global warming as a risk event caused by the threat of anthropomorphic GHG emissions. Multiple threats are tied to multiple consequences at a nexus point at the center of the Bowtie. The threats include emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O and CFCs into the troposphere. A short list of consequences includes increased atmospheric heat, rising oceans, weather extremes and epidemics. Mitigation strategies such as innovations for the creative destruction of GHG emitting technologies are mapped against lines that connect the threats to the global warming risk event at the center. Likewise, adaptation strategies such as building resilient structures are mapped onto the lines that connect the risk event to its consequences. Factors that escalate the problem of global warming are considered as tangential to the success of the strategies such as the threat of the denial of global warming and its consequences.